Interview with Noah Urban

"Geek"

This is one of the "lost" interviews. I interviewed Noah back in April of 2008 (yea, I know!), but then I got to know him personally* and that got in the way of finishing the interview.

There was always more to add - whether it was his interest in Psychology (including the questions he asks that I hadn't even considered yet, his self-directed studies of 'what makes people tick') - or his freakish mechanical abilities (one anecdote: at a mutual friend's house he opened up and fixed the garbage disposal and then casually noted that he'd never used one before) - the advancement of his photography skills and business...there's always more to learn about Noah!

I decided to put Noah's interview up NOW - regardless of how many more facets of his diamond-like person are waiting to be discovered! Meet Noah Urban, AKA Yohan, Yo, or The Captain (he comes from a family of nick-namers)...

~ ~ ~ ~

How Do You See Yourself as a Square-Peg?

Well, almost everywhere - and that's how I want to be. I really enjoy it. l don't like following the beaten path...

My mom's been a big piece of that. She taught us how to think for ourselves.

Noah described himself as:

A geek - that would probably best describe me. I don't know how that happened. I don't think I started out as a geek, but suddenly I am one. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

I don't like being associated with the geek crowd...There's definitely a down side to being a geek. They are normally social mitfits. Now I won't say I'm NOT one - but they kinda - they're not very cool people.

There's a whole society - the geek society...you wouldn't believe how much time is devoted to computer games. These brilliant people who could make the internet run or whatever - are spending all their time playing games.

You don't play computer games?

Ohnonono...never have and hopefully never will! The geek thing - it's not looking good for me {laugh}, but it all works out.

How Do You Maintain Your Square-Pegness (in a round-hole world)?

It's not hard for me.

It's part of the introvert in me. Being a Square-Peg is what's comfortable for me, I don't care if people think I'm bizarre or whatever.

Do people think you are bizarre?

{laughing}Well, you can sometimes see that in their face. I kinda enjoy it!

I asked Noah to talk about being an introvert:

I'm definitely an introvert. I like being by myself, doing my own thing.

People are nice - and I get out and about every once in awhile to shake the hermit thing off. But, for the most part, I'm most happy sitting with my work. I love my work. I don't have to deal with people very often - I get to select the people I work with.

Knowing that Noah was homeschooled, I asked him to talk about that:

I was homeschooled from day one. I've only taken two tests in my life: the SAT and the driver's test. I'm definitely not a product of the school society.

We talked about having seen many schooled kids who have a hard time talking with people outside their age range.

Yea,{laughing} and they don't hide that too well. I can talk to people to people older than me, younger than me...it doesn't make a difference to me. You are who you are.

What Has Been the Hardest For You as a Square-Peg?

Well, everything is a little tougher. The paved path is a little smoother to go down.

Hardest? There are very few people who I relate to.

Again, being an introvert I don't mind that really. It's just kinda like there aren't that many people that think like I do.

Right now I don't care. Later on I may - that's to be seen. That would be the part where I may see some problems. But, maybe I'm weeding out the people I wouldn't like anyway.

What Is Your Favorite Square-Peg Trait?

Being free to act like I want.

Have you ever seen "The A Team"? Remember Murdock? He's half crazy. I want to be Murdock.

...He doesn't care what other people think. And no one knows what to think of him! He's hilarious - always enjoying himself - doing what he wants to do. That's something I want to do... That's something to aspire to -

I want to be crazy {laughing}.

What Are Your Favorite Books?

I'm a huge Dickens fan. I love pretty much everything he wrote - Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend - and then tech books. But that's not the same.

~ ~ ~ ~

Noah and his family often talk about "building an empire". I asked Noah to tell us about the empire:

It started with Bone Sigh Arts {his mother's business} - she always said that. Each one of us in the house has a business - there are 5 businesses

We all work together - all helping each other out. Someone always needs help and the other people in the family always have the solution.

We've got our own network... {laughing} I'm usually the one who needs help..And all of our businesses are in different fields...We're growing together and pretty soon we'll be unstoppable.

It's been a long, long learning experience... When she {his mother, terri st cloud} first started I volunteered. I knew nothing...I got a book out of the library and started playing with it - it was cool! I started from that.

I was 14 or 15. Everything I learn opens up whole new areas I don't know anything about. I like it because I'll never stop exploring new areas.

Besides Noah's web and graphic design business, BFG Productions (Noah rebuilt the Square-Peg-People web site in June of 2009 - we're so grateful!), he and his brother Zakk co-created the "cutting edge web services" company Mazuzu.

I'm working on Mazuzu with Zakk. We want to develop tutorials and web services. When I wanted tutorials - I was trying to learn Flash - I found that there are very few good ones...either you have to pay or you go through blogs. I ended up going through lots of blogs - and even with my limited experience - I knew lots of 'em were wrong.

I said to Zakk: "Wouldn't it be nice to have a spot with good tutorials - good free info?" So it grew from that.

We've got our offices next to each other. He now has 4 22" flat screens hooked up. It looks like he's flying a plane. At one point he had 11 mointors hooked up. {laughing} He's a huge energy draw at our family. Everything is covered with sticky notes - with notes about the different things he's working on.

He started from back end - I started from the front end - with graphic design - now we're meeting in middle.

Comments

This is one of the "lost" interviews. I interviewed Noah back in April of 2008 (yea, I know!), but then I got to know him personally* and that got in the way of finishing the interview.

There was always more to add - whether it was his interest in Psychology (including the questions he asks that I hadn't even considered yet, his self-directed studies of 'what makes people tick') - or his freakish mechanical abilities (one anecdote: at a mutual friend's house he opened up and fixed the garbage disposal and then casually noted that he'd never used one before) - the advancement of his photography skills and business...there's always more to learn about Noah!

I decided to put Noah's interview up NOW - regardless of how many more facets of his diamond-like person are waiting to be discovered! Meet Noah Urban, AKA Yohan, Yo, or The Captain (he comes from a family of nick-namers)...

~ ~ ~ ~

How Do You See Yourself as a Square-Peg?

Well, almost everywhere - and that's how I want to be. I really enjoy it. l don't like following the beaten path...

My mom's been a big piece of that. She taught us how to think for ourselves.

Noah described himself as:

A geek - that would probably best describe me. I don't know how that happened. I don't think I started out as a geek, but suddenly I am one. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

I don't like being associated with the geek crowd...There's definitely a down side to being a geek. They are normally social mitfits. Now I won't say I'm NOT one - but they kinda - they're not very cool people.

There's a whole society - the geek society...you wouldn't believe how much time is devoted to computer games. These brilliant people who could make the internet run or whatever - are spending all their time playing games.

You don't play computer games?

Ohnonono...never have and hopefully never will! The geek thing - it's not looking good for me {laugh}, but it all works out.

How Do You Maintain Your Square-Pegness (in a round-hole world)?

It's not hard for me.

It's part of the introvert in me. Being a Square-Peg is what's comfortable for me, I don't care if people think I'm bizarre or whatever.

Do people think you are bizarre?

{laughing}Well, you can sometimes see that in their face. I kinda enjoy it!

I asked Noah to talk about being an introvert:

I'm definitely an introvert. I like being by myself, doing my own thing.

People are nice - and I get out and about every once in awhile to shake the hermit thing off. But, for the most part, I'm most happy sitting with my work. I love my work. I don't have to deal with people very often - I get to select the people I work with.

Knowing that Noah was homeschooled, I asked him to talk about that:

I was homeschooled from day one. I've only taken two tests in my life: the SAT and the driver's test. I'm definitely not a product of the school society.

We talked about having seen many schooled kids who have a hard time talking with people outside their age range.

Yea,{laughing} and they don't hide that too well. I can talk to people to people older than me, younger than me...it doesn't make a difference to me. You are who you are.

What Has Been the Hardest For You as a Square-Peg?

Well, everything is a little tougher. The paved path is a little smoother to go down.

Hardest? There are very few people who I relate to.

Again, being an introvert I don't mind that really. It's just kinda like there aren't that many people that think like I do.

Right now I don't care. Later on I may - that's to be seen. That would be the part where I may see some problems. But, maybe I'm weeding out the people I wouldn't like anyway.

What Is Your Favorite Square-Peg Trait?

Being free to act like I want.

Have you ever seen "The A Team"? Remember Murdock? He's half crazy. I want to be Murdock.

...He doesn't care what other people think. And no one knows what to think of him! He's hilarious - always enjoying himself - doing what he wants to do. That's something I want to do... That's something to aspire to -

I want to be crazy {laughing}.

What Are Your Favorite Books?

I'm a huge Dickens fan. I love pretty much everything he wrote - Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend - and then tech books. But that's not the same.

~ ~ ~ ~

Noah and his family often talk about "building an empire". I asked Noah to tell us about the empire:

It started with Bone Sigh Arts {his mother's business} - she always said that. Each one of us in the house has a business - there are 5 businesses

We all work together - all helping each other out. Someone always needs help and the other people in the family always have the solution.

We've got our own network... {laughing} I'm usually the one who needs help..And all of our businesses are in different fields...We're growing together and pretty soon we'll be unstoppable.

It's been a long, long learning experience... When she {his mother, terri st cloud} first started I volunteered. I knew nothing...I got a book out of the library and started playing with it - it was cool! I started from that.

I was 14 or 15. Everything I learn opens up whole new areas I don't know anything about. I like it because I'll never stop exploring new areas.

Besides Noah's web and graphic design business, BFG Productions (Noah rebuilt the Square-Peg-People web site in June of 2009 - we're so grateful!), he and his brother Zakk co-created the "cutting edge web services" company Mazuzu.

I'm working on Mazuzu with Zakk. We want to develop tutorials and web services. When I wanted tutorials - I was trying to learn Flash - I found that there are very few good ones...either you have to pay or you go through blogs. I ended up going through lots of blogs - and even with my limited experience - I knew lots of 'em were wrong.

I said to Zakk: "Wouldn't it be nice to have a spot with good tutorials - good free info?" So it grew from that.

We've got our offices next to each other. He now has 4 22" flat screens hooked up. It looks like he's flying a plane. At one point he had 11 mointors hooked up. {laughing} He's a huge energy draw at our family. Everything is covered with sticky notes - with notes about the different things he's working on.

He started from back end - I started from the front end - with graphic design - now we're meeting in middle.

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